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Sunday, April 12, 2015

When Crime controllers become Perpetrators: What? Why? And way forward?

Malawi police on duty

What?

It is around 12
midnight. Work has been exhausting and so you’re tired.And, you decide: “I want to have a peaceful
sleep tonight.” So you sleep like a baby…feeling all good and secure. But hey, don’t
sleep that babyishly; it’s a mistake, a very grave mistake.

Why a mistake?
Perhaps you’ve not been following events. There are verified stories going
around that the people we entrusted with controlling crimes—the police—are
themselves perpetrators of crime.

The glaring
statistics in The Nation of 10th April, 2015 that, on average, two
police officers in Malawi are involved in organized crime is both a big minus
and a ghastly dent on the Malawi Police Services. To us Malawians, these
statistics are a great concern so much so that every passing second, as day
gives way to night, anxiety creeps in our minds as we are not sure of the
safety and security of our valuable property or our dear life.

Why?

Certainly, the
police officers’ involvement in organized crime is, as pointed out elsewhere
here, of great concern. That be case, however, it is important to understand
the police officers’ drive towards such uncalled for behavior. Is it the case
that the recruitment process is flawed? Or it is the case that there is a
genuine need for mindset change. The answer to both questions are both “yes’
and “no”.

“Yes” in the sense
that there are cases where there have been allegations that the recruitment
process is almost entirely guided by “who-knows-who” criterion resulting in
picking underserving individuals for the noble job. This could be an
explanation why we have unprofessional police officers who usually incapable of
making quick and positive context-specific decisions for they have no academic
qualifications—a Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) to be
precise—necessary for such capability. There is also the possibility, a real
one for that matter, that the recruitment may not be a cause for the police
officers’ involvement in crime because the number of bad apples in the MPS is
just outrageously large for a public institution.

It might also be
that there is need to change the mindset of police officers towards their job
as rightly observed by some commentators. Yet still, police officers’ perceived
mindset problem does not seem to give the whole picture.

What then is the
real cause? Most undoubtedly, the real cause is under-appreciation. Without
mincing words, the Malawi police officers are under-appreciated left, right,
and center. The uncomfortable truth is that our crime controllers get peanuts
as salary, live in small and sub-standard houses (and they usually make sorry
extensions), and get looked down upon by the public.

And
way forward?

Interestingly,
recruitment and mindset might be, and of course are, some of the causes of
police officers’ involvement in the perpetration of organized crime. It
therefore rightly follows that paying serious attention to these elements is not
only just proper but also a must-do. Though, truth be spelt out here, the
deliberate initiation of measures intended to improve the welfare of police
officers is the way forward out of this security disaster, if not the only way.

Malawi needs police
officers who get paid a modest salary; it needs police officers whose houses
are decent enough for a police officer; Malawi needs police officers who get
appreciation for the noble roles they play in society. Police officers too are
people with wants, and, however dignified or professional they may be, they
will always make efforts to get what they want, legally or otherwise. Simple
logic should tell anyone that rules of survival hates a man that stays hungry
among plenty. So why not develop and implement measures that aim at helping our
dear police officers get their wants in life in a way that accords with the
law?

The suggestions
made by some quarters of the society that the solution to police officers’
involvement in organized crime lies in instilling a sense of service in them to
work professionally under the poor conditions they are in is wholly precarious
at best and nauseatingly cosmetic at worst. Like already observed above, the improvement
of the police officers’ welfare is the surefire way out.

It is a common
understanding among any people that the deterioration of security is not only
worrisome but also a cause for concern for insecurity is the enemy of progress.
It thus becomes unbearably worrisome if the perpetrators of the insecurity are
the same people we put our trust on for security. That’s why this security
disaster needs an urgent solution that more now than now.

Up until such time
a solution is found to address the police-perpetrated insecurity Malawians have
two options; go to prison or trust no one no matter their nobility. For Tony
Robbins says: “If you want security, go to prison.” And for the second option,
Willa Cather opines: “No one can build his security upon the nobleness of
another person.” Malawians, choose your option now.

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I am a self-styled critical theorist, political analyst, and self-liberated rationalist who believes that silence breeds despotism and all its attendant eyesores.
I believe that objective, analytical, and informed opinions and analyses are a critical ingredient to a true emancipation of humanity from the chains of socio-political and economic cannibalism.
This blog is thus dedicated to expressing disinterested thoughts and opinions,though opinionatedly. It however remains my considered belief that people with strong in freedom and fairness will find this blog a trusted companion.
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